They promised fictitious prizes and lured funds: ESBU has sent the case of 12 "call center" participants to the court

 Detectives of the Main Detective Unit of the Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine have completed a pre-trial investigation and sent an indictment to court against 3 organizers and 9 members of an interregional criminal organization. The suspects lured funds from citizens by promising fictitious prizes.

The investigation established that the members of the criminal organization set up 6 "call centers" in Kyiv and Chernihiv. The premises were equipped with server software, computer hardware, and IP telephony tools. Through these, they conducted mass calls and sent messages to citizens, informing them of alleged winnings in promotions and loyalty programs.

In total, the criminal organization consisted of more than 13 individuals, one of whom has been placed on the international wanted list.

Under the guise of receiving a "prize," victims were persuaded to pay for the delivery of postal shipments costing between 500 and 2,000 UAH, without the possibility of inspecting them. Instead, cheap household goods were placed in the parcels. The suspects sent 700 to 1,000 such shipments daily. They had no real intention of paying out the promised funds.

ESBU detectives conducted over 30 searches in the Kyiv and Chernihiv regions, during which 9 individuals were detained. More than 700 units of equipment, server hardware, documentation, stamps, bank cards, and 1.3 million UAH in cash were seized.

To ensure compensation for damages, the suspects' assets have been seized. Specifically, this includes 15 real estate properties valued at over 30 million UAH, cash, and two luxury vehicles with a combined value of approximately 5 million UAH.

The indictment against 12 individuals has been sent to court under Part 4 and Part 5 of the Art. 190 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (fraud on an especially large scale and by an organized group), Part 3 of Art. 209 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (legalization of proceeds obtained by crime), and Part 1 and Part 2 of Article. 255 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (creation of and participation in a criminal organization).

Operational support was provided by the Department of Counterintelligence Protection of State Interests in the Sphere of Information Security of the Security Service of Ukraine.

Procedural oversight is conducted by prosecutors of the Office of the Prosecutor General.

In accordance with Art. 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent of a crime and shall not be subjected to criminal punishment until their guilt is proven in a legal manner and established by a court's guilty verdict.